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Meet the 2017 Mandela Washington Fellows

By Ken Keuffel
Posted July 20, 2017 at 1:45 p.m.

BOONE, N.C. — Who are the Mandela fellows? Learn all about them here. You will discover Appalachian’s cohort is affecting innovation and positive change and their ambitions for the future are as big and diverse as the continent of Africa.

Benjamin Gomez
Benjamin Gomez

Gambia

Position: Founder of I AM ABLE Africa, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that works to ensure people with disabilities enjoy human rights and fundamental freedoms

Goal: To become an international advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities

Learn more
Carlos Ernesto Cuinica
Carlos Ernesto Cuinica

Mozambique

Position: Provincial delegate of Coalizao, an organization that teaches life, communications and leadership skills to youth

Goal: To empower girls; to stop child marriage and teen pregnancies; to strengthen leadership skills of youth; and to involve young people in socio-economic development

Learn more
Chikezie Ebubechukwu Ozuzu
Chikezie Ebubechukwu Ozuzu

Nigeria

Position: Head teacher, Rivers of Knowledge Academy, co-educational secondary institution

Goal: To make quality education in Nigeria truly free and accessible to all children regardless of social and financial status

Learn more
Elodie Mariette Kuhoua Appia
Elodie Mariette Kuhoua Appia

Côte D’Ivoire

Position: Program officer, UTZ, coffee and cocoa certification program

Goal: To promote good-governance practices by empowering citizens to monitor the implementation of pro-poor interventions in her country

Learn more
Elshadai Hailu Asmir
Elshadai Hailu Asmir

Ethiopia

Position: Internships with several organizations, including United Nations High Commissioner (UNHCR), the Ethiopian Federal Supreme Court, and Human Right Council-Ethiopia (EHRCO)

Goal: To pursue a career in human rights

Learn more
G. Umaru Sheriff
G. Umaru Sheriff

Liberia

Position: National executive director, 4-H Liberia

Goal: To build partnerships that create sustainable development

Learn more
Henry Chibutu
Henry Chibutu

Zambia

Position: Ministry of Agriculture position that helps farmers attain sustainable livelihoods; co-founder and director of organization that develops young entrepreneurs

Goal: To understand how NGOs can grow and function in a sustainable way

Learn more
Hodan Adam Ali
Hodan Adam Ali

Somalia

Position: Program coordinator, ActionAid International Somaliland, a collaborative program to eradicate poverty and injustice

Goal: To stand for the rights and freedoms of the oppressed; to empower women with assets such as conflict-resolution and leadership skills

Learn more
Janvier Manirakiza
Janvier Manirakiza

Burundi

Position: Communications officer, Village Health Works, provider of community-driven medical care

Goal: To start a nonprofit aimed at highlighting innovative solutions for Africa’s problems

Learn more
Joaquina Andre Raimundo Capitia
Joaquina Andre Raimundo Capitia

Angola

Position: Works in communications department of Mediateca do Lubango, a library

Goal: To advance My Choice, a program she started for mentoring youth in life skills

Learn more
Michael Arome Usman
Michael Arome Usman

Nigeria

Position: Co-founder, project manager of John Paul Inspire Foundation, which works to protect human rights, particularly those of women and children

Goal: To build on his work in human rights, peace advocacy and promoting youth development through entrepreneurship

Learn more
Narindra Mathieu Rabarinirina
Narindra Mathieu Rabarinirina

Madagascar

Position: Resource mobilization manager for Youth First, a young women leadership program

Goal: To grow the capacity of youth development agencies in peripheral communities

Learn more
Natacha Hakskeen
Natacha Hakskeen

Namibia

Position: 2016 Namibia Youth Award Winner, in the category of “Outstanding Young Woman”

Goal: To expand opportunities for youth

Learn more
Natalie Tatenda Foti
Natalie Tatenda Foti

Zimbabwe

Position: Food security and climate change officer, Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Zimbabwe

Goal: To promote sustainable farming practices for food security and economic empowerment

Learn more
Patience Mbah Atim
Patience Mbah Atim

Cameroon

Position: Project coordinator, Green Farmlands, her project designed to improve small scale farmers yield

Goal: To make agriculture sustainable for small-scale farmers

Learn more
Reguli Damas Marandu
Reguli Damas Marandu

Tanzania

Position: Leader of Meru TZ Slow Food Convivium, an organization that works around the world to guarantee good, clean and fair food for everyone

Goal: To advocate for indigenous food producers’ rights and the protection of agro-biodiversity

Learn more
Roland Cassinga Amani
Roland Cassinga Amani

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Position: Technical director, FCPDEAM, the French-language acronym for the Congolese Federation for the Promotion and Development of Artisanal Mining

Goal: To help artisanal miners by influencing government policies related to artisanal mining, transparency and traceability of minerals

Learn more
Elodie Alla
Elodie Alla

Côte D’Ivoire

Position: Grants manager, Health Alliance International, an organization that promotes policies and support programs that strengthen government primary health care

Goal: To open an incubator training center in building trades for young single mothers

Learn more
Segun David Fatudimu
Segun David Fatudimu

Nigeria

Position: Director, Sozo Network, an organization that provides leadership to disadvantaged teenagers in underserved communities and extends impacts of the Young African Leaders Initiative

Goal: To advance and expand Sozo

Learn more
Shiela Chikulo
Shiela Chikulo

Zimbabwe

Position: Senior research fellow, Ruzivo Trust, a think tank focused on improving farming and rural areas

Goal: To impart knowledge and skills that strengthen the capacity of farmers to produce sustainably

Learn more
Siviwe Dlukwana
Siviwe Dlukwana

South Africa

Position: Founder and Director, Ikamva Labantwana Bethu (ILB), an educational program that enables children from Crossroads Township to have access to high quality education and job opportunities

Goal: To build on ILB’s success

Learn more
Snothando Nosipho Mzobe
Snothando Nosipho Mzobe

South Africa

Position: Works with PROTEC, an organization that helps prepare disadvantaged youth in South Africa for careers in the science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) fields

Goal: To expand the reach and effectiveness of the PROTEC program

Learn more
Splendour Rita Atsango
Splendour Rita Atsango

Kenya

Position: Fourth-year student at Kibabii University; provides computer training for children ages 5 to 14

Goal: To expand scope of training she offers children

Learn more
Stanley Juma Baraza
Stanley Juma Baraza

Kenya

Position: Business Administration student, University of Nairobi

Goal: To reduce illiteracy at all age levels of society

Learn more
Susan Tusabe
Susan Tusabe

Uganda

Position: Literacy advocate; youth mentor; founder of Art of a Child-Uganda, which teaches children literacy and arts skills in addition to deepening connections to their heritage; partnership coordinator for HerStory Campaign in Uganda, in which girls are taught literacy skills through the telling of their stories

Goal: To build literacy and art centers and to provide resources for educational achievement

Learn more

What do you think?

Share your feedback on this story.

Mandela Washington Fellowship Institute at Appalachian
  • 35 campus and community collaborators
  • 25 young professionals
  • 20 countries represented
  • 5 days spent volunteering in the community
  • 6 weeks spent on campus

Read more in-depth bios about 2017’s fellows

Mandela Fellows hone leadership skills in the High Country, experience the Appalachian Community
Mandela Fellows hone leadership skills in the High Country, experience the Appalachian Community
July 21, 2017

The Mandela Washington Fellows are highly accomplished young professionals from sub-Saharan Africa who are expanding their leadership skills at Appalachian, while also inspiring the campus community.

Read the story
Action plans in action
Action plans in action

2016 Mandela Fellows share their successes and strategies

July 20, 2017

Here are two examples of the influence Appalachian State University has had on the young and promising African leaders who spend six weeks on campus as part of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. Faith Tanui of Kenya and Dr. Issoufa Bachir Bounou of Niger participated in 2016.

Read the story
Chibutu to ‘ignite’ Boone and Washington with talk illustrating servant leadership
Chibutu to ‘ignite’ Boone and Washington with talk illustrating servant leadership
July 20, 2017

Mandela fellow Henry Chibutu of Zambia will deliver an “Ignite” talk during the closing group ceremonies of the 2017 Mandela Washington Fellowship at Appalachian State University.

Read the story

About the Office of International Education and Development

The OIED is responsible for spearheading the internationalization efforts at Appalachian. The internationalization mission of Appalachian is to develop awareness, knowledge, appreciation and respect of cultural differences in both domestic and international contexts in its students, faculty, staff and the surrounding communities. The university is also dedicated to creating a campus environment that builds the theoretical and practical skills needed to interact effectively in a global society. Learn more at https://international.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls nearly 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.

Mandela Washington Fellowship Institute at Appalachian
  • 35 campus and community collaborators
  • 25 young professionals
  • 20 countries represented
  • 5 days spent volunteering in the community
  • 6 weeks spent on campus

Read more in-depth bios about 2017’s fellows

Mandela Fellows hone leadership skills in the High Country, experience the Appalachian Community
Mandela Fellows hone leadership skills in the High Country, experience the Appalachian Community
July 21, 2017

The Mandela Washington Fellows are highly accomplished young professionals from sub-Saharan Africa who are expanding their leadership skills at Appalachian, while also inspiring the campus community.

Read the story
Action plans in action
Action plans in action

2016 Mandela Fellows share their successes and strategies

July 20, 2017

Here are two examples of the influence Appalachian State University has had on the young and promising African leaders who spend six weeks on campus as part of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. Faith Tanui of Kenya and Dr. Issoufa Bachir Bounou of Niger participated in 2016.

Read the story
Chibutu to ‘ignite’ Boone and Washington with talk illustrating servant leadership
Chibutu to ‘ignite’ Boone and Washington with talk illustrating servant leadership
July 20, 2017

Mandela fellow Henry Chibutu of Zambia will deliver an “Ignite” talk during the closing group ceremonies of the 2017 Mandela Washington Fellowship at Appalachian State University.

Read the story

What do you think?

Share your feedback on this story.

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Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

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Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

The migration of materials from other sites is still incomplete, so if you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Additional feature stories may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • Photo galleries and videos published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian
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